The general name for the Tayledras is the k'Varda, or "mage clans.". These people are also called, Bird-Lords, Birdkin and Hawkbrothers. The Tayledras, in general, are longer-lived than most humans, probably because of their constant exposure to the magic of the Heartstone. Tayledras Adepts are exceptionally longlived, with some reaching 120 to 130 years of age; their longevity is attributed to the frequency with which they handle node magic.
These are the Tayledras clans that we know about so far:
For the locations of these Clans, see the maps by Larry Dixon with Daniel Green on pp. 205-210 of The Valdemar Companion.
Here are the known ranks within a Tayledras Clan:
A Healer Adept heals the earth from magical misadventures. This healing routinely takes place outside the Vale, especially following the Mage Storms when the Healer Adepts had to go around fixing Change Circles.
For more information about mage abilities, see The Magic of Velgarth.
Each Vale is governed by a Council of Elders. This Council includes:
The Tayledras all have Mage Gift to some degree. Mage Gift can be present at the following levels:
Because Mage Gift is so prevalent in the Tayledras culture, those individuals with minor Mage Gifts usually become scouts or something other than a Tayledras Mage. All Tayledras, however, receive basic magical training so that they may control their Gift.
Instead of regular Healers, the Tayledras have Healer-Mages. These Tayledras have both Mage Gift and Healing Gift.
In addition to Mage Gift, all Tayledras also have one of the following types of Mindspeech:
The Tayledras usually partner with Bondbirds. If a Hawkbrother gives someone a bird feather, that means the relationship is casual. If the feather comes from a bondbird, the Hawkbrother has more serious intentions. If the feather is a primary from the giver's bondbird, then the Hawkbrother desires the most exclusive and serious of all relationships with the recipient.
In Vanyel's time, Moondance k'Treva was said to have Healing (with a Mindhealing specialty), Mage Gift, Mindspeech, and Foresight in addition to being a Healer Adept. His profusion of Gifts is because he was not born Tayledras; rather, he was adopted into the clan. He is a Misty-only type character, and his Gifts are not representative of those generally found in the Tayledras race.
Like the Shin'a'in to whom they are related, all Tayledras, also known as Hawkbrothers, are born with black hair, blue eyes and golden skin. Their hair bleaches to silver as they age because of their proximity to the Heartstone in their Vale. Mages bleach faster than Scouts, but the whole bleaching process takes no more than two years and will effect even non-Gifted visitors to the Vale. Scouts usually dye their hair during the season when there is no snow on the ground to make themselves less visible in the forest. Tayledras eyes do not bleach because they are already blue, but the eyes of bondbirds and other non-Tayledras who dwell within the Vale will bleach to blue because of the magic of the Heartstone.
Tayledras mages usually keep their hair at waist-length and braid it with one or more of the following items:
Tayledras Scouts also have bleached silver hair, since they live in proximity to the Heartstone, but during times when there is no snow on the ground, they dye their hair in mottled browns and gold to match their gear so they do not stand out so much in the forest. They carry a bow and a hooked climbing staff.
Each Tayledras clan lives in its own Vale. Each Vale is shielded by a sphere, called a "Veil", that extends above, below and beyond the edge of the Vale. This shield repells natural predators and serves as an alarm system to alert the Tayledras within the Vale if their perimeter is breached by an intruder. The area within the shield is climate-controlled to simulate a tropical environment. Brightly colored flowers, birds and fish are found throughout the Vale.
All Vales have hot springs in a variety of temperatures. Some of these hotsprings are natural while others are magically created. Other water features include pools, waterfalls and geysers.
There are communal kitchens, gardens, workrooms (for mages) and shared eating areas. Colored stones mark paths in the Vales according to the following code:
At the center of each Vale, the Tayledras Adepts create a Heartstone. The difference between magic nodes and Heartstones is that power flows through a node while magic only flows into a Heartstone.
Five sentient races share the Vale with the humans: Dyheli, Gryphons, Hertasi, Kyree and Tervardi. For more information about these races, see the Fauna FAQ.
The Tayledras homes are called ekeles, which are essentially really nice tree houses, though they may be built into a cliff, depending on the terrain. Magic is used to grow the large, broad trees, which hold the ekeles. More than one ekele may be found in the same tree. Margically-applied transparent resin on the tree trunks protects the ekeles from fire. Uses of ekeles include:
Windows are covered with a flexible transparent material rather than glass. Ekeles inside the Vale are accessed by stairs; ekeles outside the Vale are accessed by a rope ladder. Hatches in the floor are used instead of doors. Ekeles usually consist of (from lowest position to highest):
The furniture (chairs and tables) is bolted to the floor. Rolled pads are used for sleeping. Cushions and low tables are provided for guests to sit on. Each ekele usually has a couple of perches for bondbirds as well.
Among the things that the Tayledras create are:
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